COATZACOALCOS, Mexico, Feb 24, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Mexican police on Friday found seven bodies, including those of a minor and two women, in an abandoned car in the state of Veracruz.

The bodies had multiple bullet wounds and were found in the municipality of Acultzingo, the state prosecutor's office said.

Acultzingo has long been wracked by violence between rival criminal gangs fighting over the spoils of gasoline theft from state oil company PEMEX.

The gangs also engage in highway robberies.

Veracruz state, on Mexico's Gulf coast, is known for its coffee and vanilla -- as well as being a route for drug traffickers to transport their cargo toward the United States.

Another Veracruz city, Tuxpan, was recently the scene of a similar crime, where 10 decapitated bodies were found in two vehicles.

Veracruz has also suffered from disappearances, registering some 7,000 since 1962, out of more than 100,000 nationwide.